it did not have the information to make informed decisions about john bolton the ambassador, and democrats dug in their heels saying we are not going to vote or consider this nomination until we get basic answers to our concerns. all i can tell you is the concerns i had are greater today than they were before. we are not even close to getting the basic answers. >> i have many more questions. >> after her meeting with the senators, un ambassador susan rice released a statement that said in part, while we certainly wish we have had heard it -- perfect information this days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the intelligence assessment has the ball. we stress that neither i nor anyone else in the administration intended to mislead the american people at any stage in this process. >> dick durbin says that as talks continue on the so-called fiscal cliff, democrats must be open to what he calls painful topics, including medicare and medicaid. he was at the center for american progress for about 45 minutes. >> good morning, everyone. thank you for being here. i am the president of